Butterfly Effect
by DianaMoth
Summary: This will be a compilation of unfinished stories gathering dust in my drafts. I don't plan to finish them, but it would be a waste not to share them either. If you wish to adopt them, contact me. Ch1: OC!Ino - Ch2: OC!MonkeySummon - Ch3: OC!Yoshino/Shikaku - Ch4: OC/Shikaku - Ch5: OC!NinkenSummon - Ch6: Akimichi!OC/&Shikaku
1. OC Ino

__This is the first of several unfinished stories I'd like to share with you although I don't plan to finish them. **This one is focused on OC!Ino, and the InoShikaCho family + Asuma.** __

__A detail: I'm french and this isn't beta-ed. Sorry in advance for any mistakes. Send me a nice review with a correction if something bothers you.__

* * *

 _Round and round goes the little flower._

"Ino."

 _Round and round to make a crown of flowers._

"...Ino!"

The little girl looked up. No-one. She looked back down at her flower crown.

"So troublesome... Ino, on your _left_."

The child glanced aside, blinked and smiled sheepishly at her friend. "Yes, Shika?"

"You were spacing out again," the boy grumbled with his arms behind his head. He was lying on the grass while she was sitting with her collection of fresh wild flowers in her lap.

"So? You do it all the time."

"No. I'm dozing but still conscious of what's going on around me. You know there is a difference."

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled, pouting and focusing back on her work, "but I wasn't dissociating."

"Good."

"It isn't so bad... just weird."

"It takes ages to get you back on track when you do it."

"You're just complaining because then you have to do something, you lazy bum," she grumbled by force of habit. When no answer came, she glanced at Shikamaru. He was staring at the clouds intently, frowning and pursing his lips. "Shika?"

"That's not it," he murmured before inhaling and admitting: "It scares me when you dissociate... it's like you might not come back."

Taken aback by this surprisingly honest admission, Ino froze. After a few seconds, she put aside crown and flowers to snuggle up against Shika's side with her head on his chest. "That won't happen. Obaasan says I'm getting much better. My souls are merging really well. She said that the ghost soul was probably a very benevolent one, because she didn't try to take over my baby soul. I'll be back to normal in a few years, when my brain reaches a good enough size. "

She meant to reassure him, but Shikamaru tensed. "Are you saying that it could have just... got rid of your soul and taken over your body?"

Ino winced. "Yes? But it didn't happen! And it's not like you could make a distinction anymore you know. I'm both souls equally now! So don't be rude to my older, very nice, half-soul, she's probably the only reason I'm any good at your games for old men, you know."

"She?"

"Well, yeah. _Obviously_."

Shikamaru glanced at her purple dress and the flowers she had left aside. "Obviously," he relented.

Heavy footsteps came toward them. Ino sat up to greet their friend. Chouji appeared with arms full of food and sat in front of them with an eager smile. "Snacks!"

Ino adjusted her ponytail and glanced at what he brought. "Fruits?"

"Of course," Chouji nodded, giving her a little basket of strawberries and grapes. He was happy that his friend liked to eat snacks, no matter how strange her preferences were.

"Thank you," Ino replied before eating the first one primly.

Shikamaru looked at her from the corner of his eyes and snorted. "Yeah. You're 100% girly, alright."

"So? Are you implying that's a bad thing?" she asked dangerously with sharp eyes.

Shikamaru froze in his attempt to sit up and backtracked quickly. "No. No, no, it's fine. You're the _good_ kind of girly..."

Her glare softened, but she rolled her eyes. "I'll let it pass because you're still a child but don't grow up being a misogynist, Shika. You're smarter than that." After tutting a little, she focused back on her snack.

Shikamaru relaxed and accepted the mackerel riceballs his best friend was offering.

"What was that?" Chouji asked in a hushed voice.

"Her older soul gets scary when she thinks I criticize women," Shikamaru whispered back.

"I can hear you, you know," Ino said with a roll of her eyes. "And stop making the distinction. I told you: both souls are me now."

"Maybe, but who says what still shows," Shikamaru grumbled, immediately approved by a nod of Chouji.

She looked up, curious. "It does?"

"I don't know how it feels for you, but when the older soul speaks up, it's pretty obvious. It's in the way you stare and talk."

"Yeah, you use big words," Chouji agreed between two mouthful of chips, "also, you're scarier, like the time when you lectured that merchant for bullying Naruto."

Both boys shivered at the memory. Ino's wrath had been merciless. It usually was, of course, but she only directed her anger at other children most of the time. She was an angel with adults. So, to see her publicly lecture a fifty years old man about child abuse, customer service and discrimination had been unforgettable.

Ino huffed. "All right. That time was special. I was really pissed..." She ate a grape and stared into space. "I think she liked children a lot."

Shikamaru leant his arm on his raised knee and stared at Ino thoughtfully. "Weird."

"What?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "This double soul business is weird."

Chouji nodded. "I don't know how you deal with it. I couldn't."

Ino waved her hand. "Yamanaka's psyche is more malleable and complex than any others. We're used to the tricks of the mind."

"No other Yamanaka was ever like you, Ino," Shikamaru pointed out. He knew because he asked Inoichi if they had anything he could read about this. There were no records of a child with two souls.

"Obviously, since there was only one newborn Yamanaka during the Kyuubi attack," she replied, pushing back her ponytail over her shoulder with pride. "I'm one of a kind!"

"That you are," Shikamaru agreed. "One big headache too."

"I'm not! Take it back!" She threw the flowers at him.

Shikamaru dropped to the ground with a groan, covered in colorful petals. "You win. I'm defeated."

Ino jumped to her feet and raised her arms in victory. "Ahah! That shows you! I'm the best!" Then she immediately crouched and gathered the flowers to carefully put them in his hair instead.

"What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked, opening an eye.

"I'm making you pretty."

"So troublesome…" He sputtered as a dandelion flower ended up in his mouth, stem first. "Hey!"

"Dandelions are edible."

"Doesn't mean they taste good."

"True. They're yucky, too bitter. Sorry." She gently removed the flower and threw it away.

"How do you know what they taste like?" Shikamaru asked, suspicious.

"Sometimes I know things, but it's weird to know things and not why you know them, so I tended to check when I was little. I ate a lot of flowers. Mom and dad had to hid the poisonous ones."

Shikamaru sighed and carefully didn't comment with his usual catchphrase. He listened quietly as Chouji and Ino discussed edible and poisonous plants.

oOo

"So, Ino, I have been told about your special circumstances. However, I'd like to hear your take on it, if you don't mind," Asuma said after they passed his test and officially became his students.

Leaning back on her hands, Ino groaned and breathed out sharply to get her hair out of her face. On her left, Shikamaru and Chouji were both lying down, exhausted by their test. Their sensei hadn't worked a sweat though. Cross-legged, he was slouching and looked at them unimpressed.

Head thrown back, Ino stared at the sky as she gathered her thoughts. When she spoke up, her voice took an unusually deep quality, catching the attention of her whole team. "I was born on September 23rd. When the Kyuubi attacked Konoha, I was a little more than two weeks old. The body of a newborn, while quite malleable, is extremely fragile and underdeveloped. It's sensitive to its environment and in particular to malevolent intent, which is why the toxic chakra oozing from the Kyuubi caused many miscarriages and neonatal deaths. In my case, it provoked cardiac arrest."

"What?!" Shikamaru and Chouji both sat up suddenly. They had never heard the details about that day.

Ino ignored them, lost in thought as she was. "My mother, having basic medical capacities, managed to restart my heart, but technically I was dead for a few seconds."

Chouji choked around the chip he was eating and Shikamaru hit him in the back without looking away from his female teammate.

"Now, at the time, Konoha was under attack by the Kyuubi, like I said, and the Yondaime had to get him away from the village. To this end he used a space and time technique. But it turns out that when you mix a lot of chakra coming from the Kyuubi with complex and delicate techniques, weird things happen, like the summoning of souls from limbo, probably because the walls between worlds are weakened."

Asuma was lighting a cigarette when his student started to speak, but it went out as the jounin stared, wide-eyed, as Ino mentioned this damned day. He hadn't expected such a detailed explanation from her. How did she even know what the Yondaime did that day?

"So, you have lost souls roaming around Konoha, right? And there is this baby, which is from a spiritual clan, you know, and who is so close to dying. It's like a beacon to those souls, a door to the corporeal world. It's just there for the taking..."

Ino stopped speaking for a few seconds. They waited for her to speak, but her eyes were unfocused. Shikamaru made a face as he realized she had dissociate. True, it happened less and less as time passed, but it was still as spooky as the first time.

"What happened, Ino?" Asuma asked gently.

"The souls were desperate. As soon as the worlds became separated again, they would return to limbo. They rushed on the baby… The baby's soul wouldn't have survived. It wasn't fair. It was her body, why would they steal it from her? I stepped in. I reached her first." Ino tilted her head, her hair falling in front of her face without her notice. "It was to protect her, but once the worlds were separated again, I was stuck. I couldn't leave the baby's body. It wasn't made for two souls, we were cramped. It caused headaches and nose bleeding. We couldn't sleep, we couldn't eat. The parents, the medics, they didn't understand. All they notice was an excess of spiritual energy. They gathered that it unsettled the chakra's balance and stifled the physical energy. The baby was dying. They decided to seal the excess energy. But with the spiritual energy of a baby, we couldn't survive. The soul of an adult was too large for this body anyway. It had to disappear. It doesn't work this way though. When two souls are in the same body for a long period of time, the strongest one takes control and feeds on the other. It doesn't need to be conscious. It's just how it works. The soul of an adult is always stronger than that of a baby. I wanted to protect her, but I was unwillingly killing her. It was unacceptable. So, when the shortage of spiritual energy came, I distributed it in the only way I know could change the situation. I willingly starved the episodic memory. She was a baby, she didn't remember anything, only I did, and the memories of my own past were hurting the undeveloped neuronal regions. I willingly starved every part of the brain holding my consciousness, therefore crippling my soul. Remnants of an adult soul are less than an intact baby soul. Now, we'll merge. I'm leaving this message in her subconscious, so it can be triggered in due time. I'm sorry, I tried. Take care of her. Of us."

In a heavy silence, Ino blinked quickly and straightened. She raised her hands to her cheeks and rubbed them. "Uh? Why am I crying?" She sniffled and looked at her teammates. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked defiantly. "It's just all this dust you threw in my eyes, I'm sure. Just… give me a tissue, idiots!"

Asuma obeyed mechanically.

Ino hid her face behind the handkerchief. A second later, she was crying heavily, sniffing loudly with her shoulders shaking. "It's stupid! Why am I crying?" When no answer came, she kicked Shikamaru in the knee. "Shika! Why am I crying?!"

Her friend was too shaken to answer. Chouji was drying his own cheeks. None of them knew what to say to comfort their teammate when she didn't remember what she had just revealed.

That's when her father decided to show himself. He landed next to her and crouched to take her in his arms, gently petting her hair and murmuring comforting words. His best friends, Shikaku and Chouza, landed a little further and gestured for their sons and Asuma to leave with them.

"When Inoichi insisted to come and see your meeting, I thought he was being overprotective again. I take it back," Shikaku said once they were too far to be heard. "It's best to let him deal with this. Ino will be back to her normal self tomorrow," he said to Asuma.

The jounin sensei nodded and glanced at his students, wondering what to say. In the end, he settled for a simple: "Training starts tomorrow at ten." He disappeared in a cloud of leaves, planning to think this through with the help of a few glasses of saké.

The Akamichi and Nara went to the nearest compound in silence. They settled on the patio of Shikaku's house, finding comfort in their routine of food and shogi.

Shikamaru wasn't playing at his best, his thoughts being filled with other matters than strategy. Finally, in the middle of the game, he asked: "When did the Yamanaka realize what happened to Ino?"

Shikaku met his friend's eyes before replying. "After the excess of spiritual energy was sealed, Ino's physical troubles calmed. She ate and slept like any baby, but she never behaved exactly like one. At a time when babies learned by trial and error, she never did. She used to look at a game until she had found a solution and _then_ she succeeded on the first try. She also showed signs of two distinct personalities, with one distinctly calmer than the other."

"And then she started to talk," Chouza murmured, looking in the forest with a faraway look.

"What happened?" Chouji asked, munching on chips nervously.

"Her speech pattern didn't match that of a baby. She was able to make sentences from the start," Shikaku explained, pushing a piece forward.

"And she used to talk to herself, _a lot_ ," Chouza pointed out. "That's what tipped Inoichi off."

Shikaku hummed in agreement. "When he checked her mind, he noticed something was unusual, but he didn't understand it. His mother was the one to guess they were looking at two souls merging together. Everything else was guesswork. They never really knew how or why this happened. They gathered clues from Ino's comments and behavior, but that's it."

"It shook Inoichi," Chouza murmured. "To think he could have lost his baby girl completely..." His eyes drifted to his son and he petted his hair distractedly.

"How much are the souls merged now?" Shikamaru asked, frowning at the board.

"By the end of puberty, they'll be completely merged. Ninety percent of the process is already over."

"So Ino… is and will always be Ino."

"Yes."

"... That's good enough for me," Shikamaru decided, focusing all his attention on the game. He was off to a bad start, but he planned to salvage what he could.

oOo

The next morning, Ino stood in front of her team with her hands on her hips, looking at them defiantly. "Just to be clear: what happened yesterday will stay between us and never been discussed ever again. Not a word to _anyone_ , especially not Sakura. Okay?"

They were all too glad to escape any sensitive discussion and agreed immediately.

"Good. Now, Asuma-sensei," she said with her chin raised. "Smoking is bad for your health, and while I'm aware that there are ways for you to protect your lungs thanks to chakra control, we don't know those techniques yet. As such you shouldn't smoke near us, otherwise you'll be responsible for intoxicating us."

Asuma stared at her, a little wide-eyed, while both Chouji and Shikamaru watched her like it was a show.

"If that bothers you because it became a bad habit of yours that you can't rein in, then I invite you to teach us those chakra control techniques as soon as possible," Ino concluded while clapping her hands and smiling in delight. "Like now."

Shikamaru groaned. Chouji stared at his bag of chips mournfully.

"Don't mind the other two," she added.

After the initial surprise, Asuma chuckled and stubbed out his cigarette on the ground. "This might be more fun than I thought. Alright kiddos, chakra control exercises it is."

Two hours later, Chouji and Ino were running up a tree, while Shikamaru had just finished (he was willing to make an effort of concentration if it meant shortening his suffering). He came to sit down near Asuma, leaning back and staring at the cloud.

"I guess that Inoichi-san told you the important stuff."

"He did," Asuma confirmed. "Would you like to add something?"

"She doesn't dissociate much anymore unless she's really tired or stressed."

"Both states which might occur during missions," Asuma pointed out, squinting at the purple shape waving her arms to balance herself. "Do you think it will be an issue?"

"She can still fight and do stuff when she dissociates. She's just… a little weird. Pain doesn't even bother her."

"She hears orders?"

"Yeah. She'll do whatever you tell her to do, which is creepy," he muttered the last words under his breath. "She won't take initiatives though."

"Alright. I'm sure we can deal with this."

"We've got her back," Shikamaru stated while staring at Ino encouraging Chouji from the highest branch of her tree.

"We do," Asuma agreed with a small smile. Teamwork wasn't something he worried about with them. As long as Ino didn't scare the shit out of him with anymore big revelations and emotive declarations, they should be fine.

"Sensei!" Ino screamed from her tree. "What's next?!"

Shikamaru groaned in despair, while Asuma chuckled.

"Is she always so motivated?"

"Unfortunately."


	2. Summon Monkey - SI OC

_This one is a summon!SI-OC (like my fic " Guardian Angel of Trouble Twins"), a monkey summoned by Asuma._

 _Thanks to my dear beta **Sage Thrasher** for editing this._

* * *

"Asuma… Why is there a monkey on your shoulder?"

A deep sigh was the only answer Kurenai got. Asuma was lounging at her feet, leaning against the tree around which their team gathered every morning. From the branch he was perched on, Raidou was watching silently but not without a hint of curiosity.

The monkey in question was not exactly small but, slim and agile, it managed to wrap itself around the twelve-years-old's shoulders like a scarf… or a cat. Its white fur kept Asuma warm and, since they were in winter, Asuma couldn't complain about that. The creature had been dozing until then. At the question, it raised its head, showing its dark skin and opening its black eyes. It hit Asuma over the head with a scroll.

"Don't be rude," she ordered — her voice was undoubtedly female. "Answer the question and introduce us."

"Fine. No need to hit me! Guys, this is Enmako, daughter of my father's summon, the Monkey King Enma," Asuma grumbled. "She refuses to go away until I accept to sign the summon scroll. Enmako, they are my teammates, Yuuhi Kurenai and Namiashi Raidou."

Kurenai and Raidou bowed slightly as the monkey nodded in their direction.

"She… wants you to sign the summon scroll?" Raidou repeated. "Why don't you?"

Asuma scowled. "It's my father's. I want nothing to do with him."

Enmako sighed and adjusted her position, looking fed up with the argument. "When my father told me Sarutobi were stubborn kids, I didn't realize that made them idiots too."

Kurenai hid a chuckle behind a fist, unbothered by the disgruntled glance Asuma sent her way.

"You can talk about being stubborn. Soon you won't have enough chakra left from the summoning, you know," Asuma grumbled.

"Considering I'm not using any chakra, I have some time left," Enmako replied unperturbed. "And when it happens your father will just summon me again, and again, and again, until you relent. Believe me, you'll get tired of it before me."

"What game is he playing? I thought he accepted it when I told him no," Asuma sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Oh, he's only indulging me."

"Why? Why do you insist so much? What is it to you?"

"My family has sworn loyalty to Konoha since its founding to show our respect for our only summoners, the Sarutobi clan. Our cooperation is centuries old, kid. If you think your daddy issues can jeopardize that tradition, you're deeply mistaken."

"The connection between shinobi and animals summons goes both way."

The genin startled at their sensei's arrival. Aburame Shibi was one of the most silent shinobi they had ever met, and he had a knack to scare the shit out of them every time he arrived.

"While summons can greatly benefit a shinobi, to be summoned by a warrior of valor is considered like an important experience for animal summons, which is why they agreed to the antique pact of the summon scrolls in the first place. To be offered one is a great honor and shouldn't be scorned, Asuma-kun."

"Hear, hear," Enmako said as she straightened and sat with a leg on each side of Asuma's neck with her arms resting on the top of his head. "I like him. Introduce us."

Asuma sighed but complied. "Sensei, this is Enmako, daughter of the Monkey King Enma. Enmako, this is my sensei, Aburame Shibi, clan heir of the Aburame."

Enmako grinned and held out her hand. Shibi stared at it, uncomprehending.

"She wants you to shake it," Asuma explained. "That's the monkeys' greeting for allies of valor."

"I see," Shibi murmured as he stepped forward and took the small hand which he shook once gently. A few kikaichu flew around at the contact, and the Aburame tensed.

"I don't eat insects," Enmako commented calmly. "They're too crunchy. Just don't tell them to sting me or I'll swat them."

"Of course." Shibi stepped back. "I believe this alliance would benefit you, Asuma-kun."

"Not you too, sensei!"

"I don't get why you're so hang up on this," Raidou added. "Most people would kill for a summon. Just because your father uses it too doesn't—"

"I want to get strong on my own!" Asuma interrupted loudly.

"Your father didn't ask us to offer you the contract, you know. I suggested it," Enmako said.

"What?"

"Do you think any Sarutobi can get it by virtue of their name? Of course not. Did you listen to your sensei? We only accept summoners of valor. Not everyone can keep up with us. Not even when their father is the Sandaime."

"My brother has it too."

"Of course. He proved his worth. Your sister didn't, however."

"She said she doesn't need it."

"That's convenient, because she wasn't offered it. She talks to us like we're pets. It's annoying."

"I know right?"

Enmako shook the summoning scroll in front of Asuma's face. "Sign."

Asuma hesitated and glanced at Kurenai.

She smiled and nodded encouragingly. "What makes you stronger make all of us stronger," she reminded him.

"Fine," he sighed.

oOo

Despite signing, Asuma rarely summoned any monkey. Part of it was the chakra drain it induced, and part of it was his determination to get strong on his own. He made an exception the day when Konoha went in flames.

He and all the shinobi of his age had been trapped in a barrier created by Yuuhi Shinku to stop them from intervening in the fight against Kyuubi. They were ready to burst with frustration as they could hear and see part of the combats without being able to step in. They felt powerless.

"It's no use," Raidou said. "Any summon would be trapped inside too."

"I have to do something!" Asuma hissed. "I have to try!"

"We should preserve our chakra to help when we'll be free. They'll need us for reconstruction," someone said. It sounded like Ebisu.

Asuma ignored them all and went through the hand seals, cursing himself for his slowness. He should have trained more on this sequence. He only used it when he had no other choice, but it's exactly in those kind of situations he needed to be the fastest.

Enmako appeared. She had grown, just like him, now reaching his collarbone. She was wearing clothes similar to her father, although hers were in more subdued colors of green and blue, with a green hitai-ate as a belt.

She climbed on Asuma's shoulders without a comment and looked toward the horizon. "My father is out there," she announced before Asuma could say anything. "Why am I stuck inside a barrier while my father is out there, Asuma?"

"That's what we are all wondering," Kurenai said, her arms crossed to stop her from gnawing her nails.

"Can you get us out of here?" Asuma asked.

"No," Enmako replied, looking at the barrier. "Or I could, but it would be a major waste of time and an act of insubordination toward the ruling members of Konoha I swore loyalty to, so no."

"Wh—"

"However, _I_ can get out of here by reverse-summoning myself to the Sarutobi mansion."

"You can do that?"

"I can. The seal anchor is an old favor Mito-hime did to your father."

"Then come back here and get us out!"

"Like I said, waste of time and insubordination. No. However, you can give me another objective. Think fast though, because if you don't I'm just going to help my father and be done with it."

Asuma tugged on his hair in frustration and turned toward his team. The answer came from a different source however: Kakashi stepped in.

"Find the Yondaime and help him!"

"Yes! Help him for all of us!" Gai shouted, raising his fist to the sky. The rest of them murmured or shouted their agreement.

Enmako glanced at Asuma who groaned. "I guess! If you can't do anything better!"

She disappeared without an answer.

"You should try to improve your relationship with your summons, Asuma," Raidou commented after a few seconds of tense silence.

"Fuck off," Asuma sighed.

oOo

When Mako had planned to get Asuma to be able to summon her, she hadn't exactly thought he would use it during the Kyuubi attack. She didn't know if she should be glad it happened or curse her summoner for putting her in this situation. In one hand, she could try to help. In the other hand… that demonic chakra was the foulest thing she had ever experienced in _all_ her lives.

Which didn't stop her from going straight to the source. Her fur was standing on end, making her look like a fluffy hedgehog, but somehow she found the willpower to get closer. Jumping from roof to roof, she caught sight of the Konoha shinobi fighting against the Kyuubi, led by the Sandaime who was holding The Amandine Staff, her father.

As she ran to join them, an enormous toad was summoned, the resulting gust of wind provoked by his appearance nearly pushing her off the roof. She caught hold of a vent at the last second and propelled herself forward with a swing of her long tail.

She didn't have much time. She could see the Yondaime standing on the toad's head, and if he disappeared with the Kyuubi she wouldn't get another chance to help. She jumped over the group of shinobi.

"Dad! Throw!"

The Amandine Staff vibrated in the Sandaime's hand, who looked up and recognized her. The staff extended under his guidance and propulsed her high in the air toward the toad. She landed two jumps away from the Yondaime who glanced at her in surprise. He was too busy to question her presence but didn't try to escape her hand when she grabbed the back of his cloak.

They were teleported — the Yondaime, the Kyuubi and Mako — away from Konoha.

Being so close to the beast was staggering. Mako needed a moment to gather her wits; a moment provided by a hell of a lot of chains restraining the demon.

A baby started to squeal, and Mako was reminded of the urgency of this moment. She straightened and went to take the baby from the Yondaime's tired arms, rocking Naruto Uzumaki gently.

"Wh-who is this?" Kushina mumbled. She looked in a really bad state.

"Hi. I'm your backup. Sarutobi Asuma and Hatake Kakashi sent me. They've been sidelined and they're pissed about it, so here I am. You can call me Mako. Don't worry, I'm a good babysitter. Go ahead and plan."

Two minutes later, she was regretting her words. Good Sage, but what an horrible plan that was. Exhausted genius made for very poor strategists.

"That's a terrible plan," Mako piped up helpfully. "I vote for the woman's one."

The couple turned toward her, wide-eyed, like they had forgotten she was here (they probably had; Mako forgave them considering the circumstances).

Kushina chuckled in between a few bloody coughs. "I like her."

"We can't afford to lose the Kyuubi's chakra!" Minato protested.

"The Kyuubi will regenerate sooner than you think," Mako said. "He's the most powerful tailed beast. He'll need a few years to come back, at most. I would estimate it between nine and twelve years, because the universe has a mean sense of humor like that. That gives you at least nine years to prepare yourself, your son and Konoha to what will inevitably come. The most important difference in your plans is that the Yondaime won't be dead and will be able to ensure that his people are ready and his son appropriately trained." She turned to show Naruto's red whiskered face. "You mean well, but do you realize you're putting the fate of the world on a baby? A baby you're planning to make an orphan and container of a mass of rage? Like, no offense Hokage-sama, but that's the most boneheaded plan I have ever heard. I would hit you on the head with the first thing I have on hand if it wasn't your _own fragile newborn_."

"Konoha and... my son can go on without me. The Sandaime will make sure of it," Minato tried to argue.

" _Wrong_. I don't know if this is a case of very inappropriate humility or hero-worship for the Sandaime, but I'd like to fucking remind you that the Sandaime didn't give you the title of Hokage just for shit and giggles! And look what you're making me do, now I'm cursing in front of a kid because I can't shout at you or he'll cry again."

Kushina slouched a little further on the ground as she tried to stifle the laughter who was hurting her so much. "Oh, I love her!"

"Kushina," Minato whined. "Kushina, we can't take the risk…"

She hit him weakly. "She's right, and you know it. Minato… You're the strongest person I know. You can go on without me. You _need to_ , for our son."

Mako looked away respectfully to let them say goodbye. She sat cradling a precious little bundle in her arms, murmuring senseless things to calm Naruto when he fussed, while his mother brought back the Kyuubi in herself and shortly thereafter released her last breath.

Mako sat with the soles of her feet pressed together while the world slowly became breathable and livable again, the night respectfully quiet.

While Minato Namikaze wept for his wife, she remembered the day she figured out in which world and which time period she had been reincarnated. She remembered thinking that she wouldn't go out of her way to change anything and simply tried when she could. Well, she tried and she helped. Sage knew if it would be enough...

oOo

The first time Asuma summoned Enmako in presence of his genin team, it was during a C-mission gone awry. They were against a Kumo team, Asuma facing the jounin sensei while the genin were fighting each other. Unfortunately for them, the opposing team was specialized for combat. The Konoha genin were clearly losing.

Asuma was keeping an eye on them while he tried to get rid of his opponent as quickly as possible. When he heard Shikamaru shout, a sure sign that the situation was getting desperate, Asuma hissed between his teeth and hit his enemy, throwing him as far as possible to get a few seconds of respite.

He had worked on the summon sequence — he always learned from his mistakes — and he finished it with enough time to spare to instruct Enmako: "Protect my genin!"

" _Your_ genin? You never tell me anything!" she complained, already on her way toward the cliff where she could see kids fighting. As she watched, a plumb boy from Konoha fell into the void, his teammates shouting for him.

Mako swept away a foreign burly brown boy with a wave of her bo, deflected the shuriken thrown toward the blond purple girl, jumped over the pineapple boy, and threw herself into the precipice. Her staff extended. She caught the shirt of the chubby kid. The tip of her staff dug into the cliff, stopping their fall. She diverted their momentum into throwing the kid on more stable ground above them. Then she jumped on the wall, stuck to it with chakra, retrieved her weapon and ran upward. She landed in front of the Konoha genin after a somersault and took a defensive position, staring down the Kumo genin.

"I'm Enmako, daughter of the Monkey King, protector of the Sarutobi clan and defensor of Konohagakure. Stand down or I'll make you."

They froze and wisely took several steps back.

From the corner of her eye, Mako saw Ino and Shikamaru help Chouji up (those were their names, right? She thought so), but they were all staring at her wide-eyed.

"A summon? You guys need your sensei's summon to save your skin? Pathetic!" The burly boy from Kumo laughed.

"What are you? Five years old? This isn't a schoolyard, boy. Grow up," Mako sighed, giving up on her stance to lean on her bo. "Geez. Asuma at your age was bad enough, I'm not dealing with that attitude twice. I'm getting too old for this shit. Let's move along kids, we'll wait for Asuma near this tree over there."

"Hey! Our fight isn't over!"

She hit him on the head with her extended bo. He doubled up. "Yes, it is."

Once she had shepherded her wards where she wanted, Enmako stood guard by sitting on a low branch with a good view. Asuma's genin were still staring at her.

"Are you really Asuma-sensei's summon?" the girl asked.

"Yes."

"I can't believe he never told us he had a summoning contract."

"I can't believe he never told me he had kids." Mako sighed. "I told him to summon me for tea once in awhile, but he's too scared I'll beat him at shogi."

"I'm not," Asuma stated as he appeared next to her.

She looked him in the eye, unimpressed. "Then that's settled. You'll summon me for tea and a game of shogi on your next day off."

"Are you imitating my mother? Stop that."

"No. Your next day of team bonding will do, if you insist. I expect I shall get used to saving your kids, which require a little bit of information: are they able to swim? Fly? Breathe underwater or underground?"

"Yes, no and _no_. And fine, I'll summon you for a dinner with the team. Just stop it."

"I shall hold you to your word." Mako dropped to the ground, landing in front of Chouji. She searched inside her kimono shirt and brought out a small paper bag. "Here. You need to eat more fruits, young one. A balanced diet is important for growing boys. Those chips of yours aren't sufficient." She leaned forward and sniffed at the chips he was eating. "Although I approve the use of varied vegetables. Very smart. An Akimichi creation, I suppose?"

Chouji nodded, too bewildered to answer verbally.

"Smart. As expected of your clan. Still. You should carry this too."

Chouji carefully opened the bag to see a trail of dried fruits including bananas, apricots, figs and raisins. "Ah… thank you. W-would you like a chip?" He held out his own bag in a generous show of friendship and reciprocity.

She glanced at the different colored chips. "I like purple. What is it?"

"Red beetroot."

"I shall try it." Carefully, she caught the one she wanted and bit a small piece of it. "Interesting. I shall share the idea with the Monkey Troops." She ate the rest of it and patted Chouji's head. "Eat well, young Akimichi." She moved on to Ino, who straightened and looked ready to refuse anything she could give. "Your hair is messy, young Yamanaka. Would you like me to fix it?"

"Wh— Ah!" Ino patted her ponytail, realizing a few strands had gotten away during the fight. "Y-yes, please."

They sat down cross-legged so Mako could do her hair. Asuma used the opportunity to brief his team, but his summon didn't seem to pay attention. She was intent on grooming Ino's hair until it was shiny and smooth. Once Enmako moved on, Ino touched her hair with a look of wonder.

Shikamaru was expecting that Enmako would come to him, since she seemed to make a round, but he was surprised when she got a first aid kit out of her vest and pointed out: "Your cuts need tending."

"They're just scratches."

She tutted. "A shinobi should always take good care of his body, especially of his hands, and should treat infection like his greatest enemy. Hands."

Shikamaru glanced at Asuma, who shrugged and explained: "Monkeys are sociable beings who strengthen their bonds by caring for each other. Let her fuss. It would make her happy, and then she'd leave you alone."

"Yes," Mako agreed, sitting and getting to work with a soft but thorough touch.

They were hers to take care of now.


	3. OCYoshinoShikaku

_Another attempt on the topic of souls merging. This one is focused on Yoshino and her relationship with Shikaku (the last part is slightly steamy so rated Mature, you can skip it if it's not your thing)._

* * *

"Dad?"

Shikaku hummed to let his son know he was listening while staring at the shogi board.

"Is mum alright?"

Ah. A hard question. At five years old, Shikamaru had a knack for those.

Shikaku glanced toward the kitchen, where Yoshino was cooking with an unusual fervor. She used to hate any kind of housework, doing them by duty alone and resenting him for the fact that she had to become a housewife despite her own ambitions. Since she came back from the hospital two days ago, she was a quiet whirlwind of activity, only complaining when she felt too weak to do what she wanted. It was only then, when she was exhausted, that she called for them. Even then, the usual shouts and commands were replaced by "please" and "I need your help". There wasn't even any kind of guilt trip included, just straight-forward asking for help. Yoshino never asked for help. Not even when she was eight months into her pregnancy and in pain. That woman had her pride, and she was stubborn.

It was no wonder that Shikamaru was unsettled. In theory, it was a good change, one that Shikaku may have daydreamed about once or twice, but it was… weird and cause for worry considering how it happened.

"I know you said that people can change after being hit on the head but is it… like… _forever_?" Shikamaru asked, lowering his voice even with the noises coming from the kitchen.

Yoshino hated when people talked about her behind her back. No need to test if _that_ had changed.

"It depends," Shikaku replied. "Your mother has been through a lot. Let's wait and see."

Shikamaru wrinkled his nose, unconvinced. "But it's like she's a different person. Is she gonna wake up one day and be like before again? Like in the stories where people forget?"

"No, I don't think it will work like that, little deer. She has all her memories. She just… reacts differently."

They quieted down when the noises from the kitchen were replaced by footsteps coming toward them.

Yoshino appeared on the patio. She was still pale and thin from her stay at the hospital. She also wasn't sleeping well, which gave her ringed eyes.

"Is everything alright?" Shikaku asked.

"Yes," she replied with a distracted smile before sitting by his side. "Dinner is cooking. It will be ready in half an hour." She rested her head on his shoulder.

There was that, too. She was more affectionate, looking for contact and initiating it with an unusual casualness. He knew she was capable of tenderness, but in general she was abrupt and demanding, catching them suddenly for a hug or a kiss. Her previous reluctance to appear in need of their attention was just… gone.

Shikaku wasn't stupid or clumsy enough to mess it up. He gently adjusted his position to let her curl up against his side, making it more comfortable by putting an arm around her waist. He was rewarded by a sigh of contentment as she settled, her breathing slowing down gradually.

o

Later this evening, Shikaku came back from putting Shikamaru to bed to find his wife in the garden. She was standing barefoot in the grass, staring at the moon over the forest with her arms crossed over her chest. He watched her silently from the doorway, long enough to catch the distress in the line of her lips and the tears in the corners of her eyes.

He walked to her. "Yoshino."

She hastily wiped her eyes before turning to him with a weak attempt at smiling. That, at least, hadn't changed: she didn't like to be seen crying. The last time she had cried openly in front of him was when she had lost her mother.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Yoshino, there is something you've been keeping for you since you woke up, and I can see it's consuming you from the inside. Talk to me."

She shook her head.

It was a risky move — his wife didn't appreciate anything that could be considered coaxing — but her refusal didn't seem very firm to him, so he tenderly cupped her cheek and insisted: "Yoshino, please."

She bit her bottom lip and stared at his goatee rather than meeting his eyes. "You're going to think that I'm crazy, or a spy — probably a spy — and then... then I'll be sent to T&I and..."

"Even if I had a doubt, I would never let anyone else than Inoichi come anywhere near you, and he wouldn't hurt you," he reasoned without pretending that her fears were unfounded. "Yoshino, let me help you."

When she slowly nodded, he led her back inside with an arm around her waist and her hands in his. They sat down side by side on the couch. She leaned against him, looking for comfort, but still refused to meet his eyes, afraid of rejection.

He patiently waited for her to speak up.

When she did, after a deep breath in, her hand was clenched in his. "Since I died, there is something different. I felt it even before waking up, in my dreams, I saw… I imagined… There were things I wasn't familiar with. Objects, landscapes… It was strange. When I woke up… I remembered my life, but it was like there was… something more. Like another life, overlaid on mine."

"Another life?" Frowning, Shikaku tried to picture it, but this felt like Inoichi's specialty — a mental issue — rather than his.

"Yes, where I was a… a researcher, I think? In biology. I know all those new things about… about anatomy and cellular biology, and ecosystems, and… Shikaku this doesn't make sense! My life doesn't make sense anymore! I feel torn and unsettled all the time! When I see people jump on the roof, when your cousin used this earth jutsu the other day, or… yesterday when you asked Shikamaru if he wanted to learn how to throw shuriken now or learn at the Academy I nearly had a panic attack! This is stupid!" she shouted.

He shushed her gently to avoid waking up Shikamaru, and pulled her closer, rocking her against his chest as she buried her face in her hands.

"I feel like I'm going mad," she whispered.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Shikaku asked gently. "The doctors asked if there was anything…"

"Oh, please," she groaned in disgust. "I was fine physically. Wasn't it all that matter to everyone?"

"Not to me."

Yoshino hesitated at his calm and candid answer. Emotional honesty had never been a forte in their relationship. She straightened slowly and finally met his eyes. "Sorry," she murmured. "I… for some reason, I seem to have developed some… strong opinions about… a few things."

Shikaku raised an amused eyebrow. "Dearest, you always have strong opinions."

She chuckled and pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "True. I meant that I had a sudden negative opinion of psychological care at the hospital. It seemed to me that no-one would be able to help there."

"I don't know about the hospital, but it seems to me that we should talk to Inoichi."

She groaned. "I knew you were going to say that."

"Did you develop a strong opinion against Inoichi too?" His wife had never become a friend of his teammates, but they always had a courteous relationship.

"No, no," she sighed, "I'm just jealous."

He blinked, bewildered. "What?"

"Whenever you need something, it's always 'I have to speak to Inoichi and Chouza'. It's just…" She huffed. "Never mind."

"Are you saying you're jealous of them?"

"No! … Maybe." She swore under her breath. "Just… ignore whatever I say. I have this urge to be honest lately, it's annoying."

"I like it," he blurted out. After years of marriage, it had never occurred to him that his wife could be jealous of his closeness to his best friends. That could explain a few things.

"You… do?" She looked puzzled at the mere idea. "Wouldn't you prefer I keep my feelings to myself?"

"I would rather you tell me outright rather than having to guess why you're upset or pissed. That's a risky bet that I too often lose."

"Because you're dense."

"Probably," he agreed good-naturedly. "So you better be a little more clear for my benefit."

"Fine. I'll spell it out for you, idiot," she agreed with her chin raised defiantly. "I'm scared, and I don't want to be alone with Inoichi."

Now she was admitting her fears! This was truly an evening full of surprises and revelations.

Contemplative, Shikaku scratched his jaw before shrugging. "I wasn't planning to let you go anywhere without me anyway."

"Because you think I'm a spy?"

"No," he replied without batting an eyelash, "because you need me."

Yoshino stared in silence for a few seconds before leaning closer and throwing her arms around his shoulders. He welcomed the embrace, pulling her onto his lap for a more comfortable hug.

"I love you," she murmured into his neck. "It feels like I didn't say it in ages because your bad habits are always driving me crazy, but I love you."

It had been ages… probably years, and he hadn't realized he needed to hear it before this moment. It warmed his heart. He slouched against the backrest, kissing Yoshino's temple as they relaxed in each other's arms. "I love you too, dear troublesome woman."

"I'm letting it pass because this _is_ troublesome, but don't make it an habit," she grumbled.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he replied truthfully, grinning at her grumpy tone. After a moment of comfortable silence, his curiosity won over his laziness: "Do you want to talk about it? about that other life?"

She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "It was… peaceful. There was no war, no shinobi… no chakra. A civilian life, without drama. Uneventful, but where you didn't need to worry so much for your children."

He stroked her hair and hummed in thought. "Sounds nice." And unthreatening. He didn't believe in Yoshino being transformed in some sort of spy, but with added memories you had to be cautious. It was hard to see a danger when they sounded so mundane, though. Inoichi would know better than him if this was some kind of nefarious trick.

"Let's go to bed," he offered when he felt her ready to doze off on him. As lovely as it was to have her in his arms, he could do without carrying her.

o

Shikaku watched quietly from a corner of the room as Inoichi explored his wife's mind. Arms crossed and chin to his chest, he was more on edge than he had pretended to be for Yoshino's benefit. Watching the proceedings with half-closed eyes, he waited impatiently for his friend's verdict.

It took nearly ten minutes before Inoichi pulled back. He was breathing heavily, with a closed-off expression but slightly widened eyes. Yoshino, on the other hand, was shaking slightly but seemed more affected mentally than physically. She seeked his gaze for reassurance, and he could read an unfamiliar request for comfort in them.

Shikaku took a few steps forward but didn't reach for his wife immediately, glancing at Inoichi questioningly.

Although he didn't speak yet, his friend nodded in a silent confirmation that they were dealing with the real Yoshino and not an impostor.

Shikaku sat down and let his wife curl up against him, brushing her hair distractedly as he waited for his friend to explain.

"It's as she said," Inoichi finally spoke. "She has memories of another life, and the traces of another psyche beside her own. It's… like she's merging with another soul. Her consciousness is coming on top, but she's still influenced by the other one, nonetheless."

"How is that possible?"

"I can only guess, and badly at that. This is an unheard of situation. Two souls in a body usually require some sort of seal or kekkei genkai. This is obviously related to her temporary death, but I can't tell you how or why."

"Is it dangerous?"

Inoichi shook his head. "The other soul doesn't show any traces of being harmful to Yoshino or Konoha. As she said, it's a civilian who doesn't know chakra. It's out of its depth."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"I could manipulate her mind to favor some part of the psyche, but from what I saw the merging seems to happen naturally. The mind has ways to protect itself, and it's exactly what it's doing now. I fear that interfering in the process would do more harm than good."

Shikaku nodded in understanding. He looked down at Yoshino and met her eyes. She seemed exhausted.

"Well?" she murmured. "What are you going to do?"

He shrugged. "The Hokage will need to be informed. As for the rest… well, you're recovering from a traumatic experience. That's all anyone else need to know."

She relaxed against his side and nodded in agreement. "Thank you Inoichi," she said, straightening slowly.

Inoichi smiled softly. "If you feel anything unusual, you should come back. A regular check-up until the merging is complete would also be preferable."

o

It was late when Shikaku came back from the bathroom, wearing pyjama bottoms and drying his hair with a towel. He closed the bedroom door behind him but froze when he caught sight of his wife.

Curled up in the middle of the bed, Yoshino was naked under a sheet loosely draped over her back, framing the curves of her shoulders and the top of her breasts pressed against the mattress. She blinked up at him with sleepy eyes, but her hair was perfectly brushed and fell on her skin sensually. "You took your time," she commented before stifling a yawn. "I guess I shouldn't have bothered—"

Shikaku threw the towel in a corner and was on top off her before she could finish her sentence. She squeaked in surprise and laughed when he kissed her neck, jaw and shoulder. Pressed against her back, he pulled down the sheet covering her, the back of his fingers brushing her skin on the way down, eliciting a shiver of pleasure and a soft pleading call of his name.

"It has been a while since you initiated anything, love. Should I be worried?" he asked with a teasing tone, while he caressed her soft belly.

"Are you complaining?" she asked, falsely threatening, but tilting her head and curving her back to give him more skin to explore.

"I'd never."

Truly, he couldn't really complain about the changes brought by this other life business… for now. A Nara never lowered his guard.


	4. OCShikaku

_One of my first attempts at writing an OC/Shikaku story. I scrapped it because it would need to be slow burn, and I didn't have the motivation for that._

* * *

"It won't work, they will remember you."

"Oh no, they won't."

"Why wouldn't they?"

"Because you and sensei are suns, and I am in your shadow. Very few people care about shadows, Minato, even among ninja."

"That's not true. Sensei, tell her."

"As much as I'd like to make some poetry about her being a moon, she has a point Minato. If she dies now, no-one will remember her, no-one else than us. She'll be just another young chunin killed in action."

"It's for the best, Minato. I'll miss you, but to help you I have to die today, alongside Hideki."

oOo Twelve years later oOo

The daimyo arrived to Konoha with great pomp and his usual retinue. While Shikaku had to be present, he stayed in the background for most of the proceedings and used the opportunity to watch the poisonous ants swarming around the leader of Hi no Kuni. While most of them were the same old schemers he had learned to know, he noticed a new face during one of the evening celebrations.

She was drifting around the room, seeming at ease among the Daimyo's wife and her friends who treated her like their own, or among the ministers who welcomed her like a high profile geisha. She had the grace and countenance of one incidentally, and yet was dressed like a noblewoman. She also carefully avoided any ninja mingling among the crowd. Some people even went out of their way to stay between her and a shinobi.

Shikaku caught Inoichi's eye and waited for his best friend to join him, following the lady from the corners of his eyes.

"I see that Lady Chieko caught your attention," Inoichi murmured, putting his back to the woman so their attention wouldn't be noticed. The Yamanaka always knew everything about everyone: gossip was one of his hobbies and information gathering his specialty.

"Who is she?"

"The tutor of the daimyo's youngest daughter. Minor nobility, great mind. She has been a favorite of the court for three years now. She has the Lady Shijimi's ear. Having successfully tried her hand at marriage counseling, she got upgraded to private tutor six months ago. One of the best matches for ministers and noblemen, but she's a widow and using it to her advantage."

"Widow?"

"Her husband was killed in one of the last skirmishes with Kumo. She was saved just in time by a team of ours and moved to the capital thereafter. Fearful of shinobi since, she's known as a pacifist, and the Twelve Guardian Ninja themselves have orders to leave her alone."

"How convenient."

"Well, to her credit, the last time one touched her she had a panic attack. It made quite a fuss," Inoichi noted, but he was frowning and watching his friend intently. "Something wrong?"

"She looks… familiar. Like I met her before."

"On a mission?"

"Maybe," Shikaku murmured, but he didn't think so.

A young jounin passed by. Inoichi gestured for him. Asuma stopped by with a casual smile. "Inoichi-san, Shikaku-san. What can I do for you?"

"Lady Chieko. You met her, didn't you?"

The former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja blinked, voluntarily didn't look in the lady's direction, and nodded. "Sure thing."

"What can you tell me about her panicking around shinobi?" Shikaku asked.

"You're asking if her phobia is real? Well, if it isn't, she's the best actress I have ever met. She startled every time she caught sight of me. It dissuaded me to be seen, that's for sure."

"Her panic attack?"

"Definitely real, although the circumstances were special."

"How special?"

"She had been threatened just before, of rape, and Jiro could be scary when he wanted. I told him to let Tou deal with it but too late."

"I see. What's your opinion of her?"

"Kind and wise. Independent and educated. She's not really the ambitious kind. She just wants men to leave her alone, mostly. I liked her, she was one of the good ones. She doesn't despise shinobi despite her fear. She's aware we're necessary. She just doesn't want us anywhere near her, which, you know…" He shrugged. "Fair enough, I guess. She never made our job harder on purpose, which is more than I can say for some."

"I see. Thank you Asuma."

Comforted that nothing foreboding would come from this woman anytime soon, Shikaku redirected his attention on more pressing matters.

o

The next day, their paths crossed in the gardens of the Hokage's mansion where a lunch party was organized. She spread out her fan as soon as she noticed him, hiding the bottom of her face and looking down at the ground rather than at the flowers as she had been doing.

Shikaku kept walking calmly until they were a few meters away from each other. He was watching her intently. She wasn't unforgettable. Her long black hair was tied in an ornate bun in the way currently in fashion at the court. She was tall and a little curvy but nothing out of the norm. She could be confused with many others from the back. Her face — pretty but plain — was covered in layers of makeup smoothing her features, and yet…

When they were closed enough, he stopped and moved to the side to let her pass. He bowed his head.

She slowed down, just enough to bow back before quickly leaving, but she had looked up for a second and their eyes met.

He watched her leave silently.

He knew where he met her.

o

Later that day, Shikaku took advantage of the first moment of peace they had to corner Minato, look him in the eye and asked: "Is Reiko truly dead?"

Minato looked back calmly. "She warned me that if anyone might notice it would be you."

Shikaku breathed in sharply and took a step back. "So it's her. Lady Chieko, it's her. Your teammate."

"And your first kiss, yes."

"Not so dead after all, is she?"

"Not so much, no."

"She's spying for you. She has been spying for you, or rather Jiraiya-sama, all along, didn't she?"

"She's the apple of his eye. For years, she didn't want anything to do with espionage, and when she caved in… he was right… she was the best there ever was. Tell me, would you have noticed anything wrong if she hadn't seemed familiar to you?"

"No."

"Asuma never did either. No-one ever notice. Very few remember her as my teammate."

"She grew up… and there aren't any pictures of her anywhere, not at your office, not at your house," Shikaku realized slowly. "On purpose."

"Yes. You're right, years and a lot of makeup do wonders, but she isn't as banal as she pretends to be."

"Banal isn't the word I'd use," Shikaku agreed. He wandered in the room, smoothing his goatee. "She has been infiltrating the court for three years. What did she do before that?"

"That's confidential information, Commander," Minato replied calmly.


	5. Summon Ninken - SI OC

_Summon OC - Hatake's ninken version. Attempt due to a discussion with **MadameGuillotineTheSeraph** , so this is dedicated to her. Scrapped because I wouldn't have been able to maintain this OC's personality for long..._

* * *

Someone had messed up during the reincarnation process. She wanted to be a cat, not a dog! The first one could sleep all day, while the second one had to run after annoying shinobi genius all day. Big difference.

Shirayuki was a proud Akita Inu with white fur. She had just attained her adult size and could reach an human's hip. This had become her greatest advantage in her incessant quest to care for the Hatake.

"Sakkun, put that down."

Sakumo startled and looked up from the tanto lying on his lap. In three steps, Shirayuki was by his side and grabbed the hilt with the tips of her teeth, sending the venerable blade flying to the other side of the dojo.

"I can't let you alone five minutes, can I?" she sighed. "Come on, let's go for a stroll, you need a distraction."

"Shi-chan, I'm not really in the mood…"

She nudged his chest violently, sending him sprawling on the tatami. "It wasn't a suggestion Hatake Sakumo. Get up!"

With his usual depressed apathy, Sakumo followed her out of the dojo and put on his shoes. Shirayuki watched him sharply, huffing. It was the second time she caught him ready to commit seppuku in less than a week, each time while she was napping (or trying to anyway). She couldn't even sleep peacefully! She had to step in.

"Keep up," she ordered sharply before throwing herself on a run. She started on their usual track around the village, but her sharp nose was looking for someone specific as they went. She wasn't too surprised to find him near the onsen. She dropped from the rooftop she was on and threw herself in the bush where Jiraiya was hiding.

The pervert swore and flailed around, falling out of his hideout. "What the hell, mutt?"

"Shut up, pervert. I need you to put Sakumo on suicide watch."

"Shirayuki!" Sakumo protested as he finally caught up to her (he was getting slow as he let himself waste away).

Jiraiya had sobered up immediately. He was watching them wide-eyed. "What?"

"You're moving in with us. Pack your bags. Come on, let's go." She nudged his shoulder and grabbed him by the back of his shirt when he didn't move fast enough to her liking.

"For fuck sake, your dog is the pushiest female I have ever met, Sakumo," Jiraiya grumbled as he stood up. "What's this I hear about suicide? Sakumo, you aren't going to do anything stupid, are you?"

Sakumo's silence and elusive attitude answered him more than a thousand words.

"Aaalright," Jiraiya drawled, unusually solemn. "Come with me then."

"Jiraiya, that's unnecessary, you don't need to—"

"It's vital," Shirayuki interrupted. "I already stopped him twice. I can't sleep anymore, AND I'M GOING TO BITE THE NEXT ONE WHO LOOKS AT HIM WRONG!" She barked after the chuunin who had glanced in their direction with a scowl. The man disappeared in a cloud of leaves. Good riddance.

"Shi-chan!" Sakumo chided her, grabbing her by her silver collar and pressing her down firmly.

She growled a little but didn't resist. Sakumo hadn't tried to control anything she did in ages. If she needed to bite someone to get him to react, she was going to do it, just watch her!

"Yeah, let's go before the pissed off ninken does something drastic," Jiraiya concluded wisely.

Later tonight, when Kakashi came back from the academy with a dull "I'm home", Shirayuki jogged to block his way to his bedroom and pushed him toward the living room.

"Let me go, Shi-chan. I'm tired," he grumbled.

"Nope."

"Hey kiddo!" Jiraiya waved from his spot at the kotatsu. "Don't mind me. I'm going to stay here for a while."

Kakashi frowned. "Why?"

"Your father needs some company."

"Whatever. I don't care."

Shirayuki sighed as the kid left in a huff. She glanced at Jiraiya to call him as a witness to what she had to deal with daily.


	6. Akimichi OC and Shikaku

O _ne day, I'll finish_ an **OC** _ **/Shikaku** , but not today. This one has an **Akimichi!**_ **OC** _. T_ _he issue was that they worked better as friends. So, I might just use her in another story sometimes._

* * *

"This is a direct order from General Shimura Danzou!"

"I heard you the first time. It's still no."

The chuunin in charge of communication was livid as he stared at the jounin sitting on a rock in the middle of the war camp. She was surrounded by her team, who were watching the proceedings uneasily, but they weren't the only ones: every shinobi who had nothing pressing to do was staring at the scene they were making.

Akimichi Momoko didn't seem bothered by it all. She was focused on some embroidery, her large hands pulling on a needle with infinite patience. The sight was incongruous due to their filthy surroundings and her own battered battle gear, but all the camp had gotten used to it. It wasn't more surprising than her colorful hairdo: her light-brown hair was held into a bun by vivid pink scrunchies, which had led to her nickname: Pink Mountain.

"This is insubordination! You'll be court-martialed!"

"Sure. If I don't die before that," she agreed. "Chances are currently fifty-fifty I'd say."

"That's— You— Traitor—" the chuunin stuttered.

For the first time, Momoko looked up, put down her embroidery frame, and stood up. Being 178 centimeters tall, she towered over any woman and half of the men she worked with, this chuunin included. He took a step back.

"What did you say?" she asked softly, her tone deceptively calm as her smile promised pain if he repeated himself.

"I—I'm just transmitting your orders," he mumbled to get out of the line of fire.

"An order to commit arson of a foreign civilian village currently only containing children, women and old people. An order that you're defending by publicly calling my decision into question."

"It's an order," he insisted like a broken record.

Momoko's large shoulders rose as she breathed in. Her hazel eyes promised a lecture on orders and moral duty as her full lips parted in preparation.

That's the moment the camp commander chose to appear, making his way between bystanders. Shikaku looked extremely displeased. He stared at the communication chuunin with a scowl.

"Shimura. What is the meaning of this? All communications from the general staff have to go through me first."

"C-Commander! You were unavailable, and the orders were for Akimichi-san specifically. I thought—"

"You thought wrong," Shikaku replied sharply. "In my tent, now."

The chuunin bowed low in apology and disappeared in a cloud of leaves, eager to get away. Shikaku's cold stare fell on Momoko. She knew without needing to be said that the order included her too. She sighed and gestured at one of her teammates to take care of her embroidery.

They walked together, going through the shinobi parting for them. Once they were out of earshot, Shikaku hissed at her:

"Are you mad? Publicly challenging orders from a General, really?!"

"I'm not going to destroy a civilian village!" she hissed back.

"You should have come to me!"

"I thought you had given the go-ahead," she replied more softly and not without a little bit of shame. It wouldn't be like her friend to give such an order, but what was she supposed to think? It was the procedure.

Shikaku's stare told her that he didn't appreciate her lack of faith. "I wouldn't have given you such an order like this."

"I see that now. Sorry, I didn't think. Not enough sleep."

The Nara shook his head with a loud exhale. "This is going to come back to bite you, Momo. Danzo would be too pleased to get rid of you, and you talked back to a member of his clan. There is no way he won't hear about it."

"Yeah, well, like I said, you can't court-martial the dead," she replied sharply as they reached the command tent.

She was going to step in when a hand grabbed her biceps and pulled her back. She was taller than him too, but the difference was so little they were mostly eye-level.

"Would you stop courting death?" he whispered. "Choza would be devastated if he lost you."

"He would be the only one."

"You know that's not true," he sighed.

His breath caressed her cheek. She could smell the tea he drank all day to stay focused and calm. In the wet and cold air of the morning, his warmth seeping into her from their close proximity was a nice reprieve.

"Do I need to write to Yoshino?"

"You'd tattle on me, Shikaku?"

As her best friend and Shikaku's girlfriend, Yoshino had introduced them to each other. They had immediately bonded over their healthy respect for her opinion and fear of her ire.

"You would."

She tilted her head. "... Fair enough."

"Behave."

"I'll try."

In the end, Shikaku found a compromise between strategic necessities and humanity, like he always did: they warned the villagers, gave them the time to pack their belongings, and then took possession of the village. And like always, he was right: it came back to bite her in the ass.

oOo

"Akimichi-san. He's here."

Momoko rose from her slouch with a groan and crawled toward the chuunin who had called her. It had been three days of hell since she was stuck in this trench, seeing men after women get killed one after the other while having to stay low to the ground without a way to wash or eat anything more than dry rations. She was extremely tired and yet she couldn't sleep more than one hour at a time. Her pink scrunchies were all tarnished with mud, and she wanted to scratch places she couldn't reach under her armor.

She was so done with this war.

"Momo," was the surprised greeting she received when she dragged herself to the other jounin's position.

"Hey, Minato," she greeted the prodigy half-heartedly.

"I didn't know you were here."

"Danzou's orders," she explained while rubbing her freckled nose.

"Akimichi-san has saved our lives a few times these last days," Mimura explained. The jounin in charge of the battalion didn't look much better than Momoko. A lesser man would have lost this position a long time ago, along with all his men. There were still eight of them.

"Are we ready to end this?" Momoko asked.

"That's what I'm here for," Minato confirmed. "And if you're here, then…"

"Yeah. I got you. I managed to get some sleep so I should be able to summon Kumamama." She craned her neck to stretch her muscles and intertwined her fingers to make them crack. "Let's get this show on the road."

"I'd appreciate it," Minato agreed. "I left my team without backup for an essential mission a few kilometers from here."

"Is Kakashi-kun leading it? He made jounin yet, uh? Well, let's get you back there pronto then."

While Minato explained his plan to the battalion and distributed his special kunai, Momoko got ready to make a diversion and draw the fire upon her. It wasn't something they needed to discuss, they had already put this strategy in practice a few times since the beginning of the war.

Momoko loved it, and so did her bear summon.

"Kumamama! Time for a charge!" Momoko cheerfully announced at the bear summon she had conjured.

Mama was enormous. Even on all fours and hunched over to stare at the tiny humans gaping at her, she was sticking out of the trench. Which is why there was no time to waste. Momoko jumped on her back and gripped the green vest she used as a harness to not pull on the brown thick fur.

"You stink," Mama commented.

"I know," Momoko sighed. "Just… let's get this war over with."

"Agreed." Mama got them out of the trench and charging at the Iwa forces in a matter of seconds. Momoko just had the time to get her bo staff ready as she joined Mama's roar with a shout of her own.

Kunai whistled past her on each side, and a yellow flash soon joined the fray.

It was a slaughter, and she had seen her fair share these last years.

oOo

Minato left them right after to check on his team.

Momoko joined Mimura's battalion to deal with the corpses, theirs and Iwa's, because even if they were enemies they deserved some basic respect.

It was slow, solemn and haunting work. To find the bodies, close their eyes, bring the parts together when necessary, line them up and surround them with seals meant to keep the wild animals away.

Night had fallen long ago when Mimura found her staring at the small body of a teenage Iwa girl. She couldn't be more than thirteen. The gaping slash at her throat showed a quick death. Minato's mercy.

Resting his hand on her arm to ground her, Mimura waited silently for her to pull herself back together. He didn't say anything. There was nothing to say.

Turning away when she was sure she wouldn't burst in tears as soon as she faced any living being, she nodded at him in thanks. He patted her shoulder in a show of support. They might have the same rank, but he was ten years older,_ and it showed.

The next day, they heard the explosion up north of their position. Minato's team had finished their mission, at least. With Kannabi bridge destroyed, Iwa wouldn't be able to send any more supplies. Reinforcements to press on the front lines wouldn't come any time soon.

Mimura's battalion could afford to fall back toward the base camp. They didn't waste time, relieved to get far away from the site of the massacre. Their pockets full of scrolls holding the bodies of their fallen comrades (they didn't have enough, the most damaged had to be burnt on the spot), they slowly made their way through the trees riddled with traps and kunai.

They still had ten minutes before reaching the camp when a bird call informed them of allies approaching. Soon after, Minato jumped from a tree, followed by his team. A team which had not finished their mission unscathed. Momoko took note of Hatake's scared left eye kept closed and the Uchiha's absent right arm. Both of them were slow, but it was a wonder that the Uchiha could even stay upright after losing a limb. Rin's doing undoubtedly.

As she thought this, the boy tumbled face first, only to be caught in extremis by Minato.

"Momoko, I'm so sorry to ask this but could you..."

"I'm fine!" Obito protested.

"You have stumbled seven times in the last hour," Kakashi commented dryly.

"And you took a branch in the face five times!"

"I didn't fall," the young jounin pointed out smugly as he crossed his arms.

Without a word (how could they still be so talkative after such a difficult mission?!), Momoko crouched in front of the Uchiha, put her neck under his only arm and lifted him over her shoulders in a shinobi carry.

"Oh, no, no, no. I'm fine!" Obito squeaked.

"You won't be if you keep screaming in my ear, kiddo," she sighed.

"It's embarrassing," he said much quieter. "I mean… you're a woman."

"I'm an Akimichi," she replied simply. She was twice as strong as most men. All of that sexist bullshit just pissed her off. "Now let's go. I want some food which isn't rations."

"Agreed," Mimura said, taking the lead of their formation. His men followed, then Rin and Kakashi, then Minato and Momoko.

They were welcomed in the camp with cheers and friendly pats on the shoulders. This was the biggest victory they had had in months.

Momoko escaped the crowd after leaving Obito in the infirmary. Her eyes met those of Shikaku. He was standing in front of the commanding tent, leaning against a pole nonchalantly. She went to meet him, bowing her head in greeting.

He nodded. "Welcome back."

She smiled softly. "It's good to be back."

"Are you done pissing off Danzou?"

She snorted. "You say that like I'm doing it on purpose."

"I'm not convinced you don't."

"So little faith in me."

"In your self-preservation."

She nodded. "Quite rightly."

"Take care of yourself."

"No promise, but I'll start by a shower."


End file.
